Machine-tool organization



G. E. GUSTAFSON MACHINE TOOL ORGANIZATION June 5, 192s.

Filed Feb. 23. 1926 4 GEORGE E.

Patented June 5, 1928.

UNITED STA-TES* GUsTAFsoN, or FITCHBURG, Massiicmrsii'irs,l AssIGNoB To KEARNEY azl mancxnn conromi'rion, ony WESTy ALLIs', WISCONSIN. l i

l, v1,671,989 PATl-:NTv OFFICE.l

4lasciarmi;'root onGANIzAT1oN-= Application led yFebruar/y 23,1926. Serial No. 90,115. y

. The main object of this invention is an improvement in the organization-of machine tools and tofprovide means whereby slidable overarms of machine tools may more readily ybe manuallyshifted for various purposes well known in the art. y

v Theinvention consists .in certain novel features of construction, arrangement andcombination ofparts as hereinafter particularly described and claimed. i

VIn the accompanying drawings parts are designated by `corresponding num-A bers in each of the several views. Fig.= 1 is an elevation viewed from the right, of the upperportion of a'machine toolv ot the general type commonly known as a. knee and column ytype milling machine which incorporates myinvention butvfromr which certain well known parts have been omitted as ,unnecessary to illustrate my invention. Y y 'Fig 2 is a front elevation of the'upper portion of the same machine partially in section along .line 2-2 of Fig. 1 and'enlai-ged.V i v Fig. 3 is an enlargedvertical partial section of a portion oit the -le't't hand mechanism' shown in Fig. 2. L

Fig. 4 is a `vertical. section along line 4-,-4of-Fig.3.

Fig. 5 is a section'along line 5,-,5 of certain of the mechanism shown` in Fig. 4.

A stationary support orrvcolumn-l rotatably supports a tool-spindle`2 uponwhich is .lixed ar drivingfgear 3 connectible to be driven `from a power source and lby a train of gearing not. shown. .The column likewise supports a `vertically slidable knee 4, `a transversely slidable saddle 5 and alongitudinal.- ly slidablev work tab-le y(S5-,the column, knee, saddle and table constitutingwork supports together providing work movement relative to the'tool spindle in three transverse paths. Slidably supported from column l are overal-ms 7 and 8 vwhich may beoi' lany of several well known types but forfwhich I have preferred to illustrate the typepconsisting .otra round-bar, and have preferred vto use two such :overal-ms instead ofv onefor various reasons. f v

,Each of theroverarms and-8 isslidable in a suitablev bore in the column Il, either fore ward toprojectfrom the front of the ina.- chine. when thev conditions lof operation of the machineA required that they should be ther same used the several well known 'waysvfor thev i support of ythecutting tool, not shown, or

vfor lthe support ofk the vouter end of knee 4,y to provide greater rigidity between the work andv the tool or vto assist in the alignment of the cutting tool.,- The` are also slidable 1 to project from the r'ear of the machine when` not requiredto be out of thevway of the work, cutter `or operator, and -may also ybe set inl any intermediate position. i

The overarms lmay be clamped rigidly withA the column when in any of their posiytions ofadjustment by the means of clamps generally denoted in vF ig. 1 by thenumerals k9 and 10. Clamps `9vand10'are similar in construction and operation therefore, only one will be describedin detail. In Fig. 22is shown a section oit'v clamp .79.. A clamp.v memberv 11 is `fitted in al suitable bore l12 .of column `l to k,move kup` wardly under the linfluence ofl a spring 13 when released,lor to be ,forceddownwardly by the means rof a Stud 14.having a nut lthreadedthereon andtowhich a wrench maybe applied.r When forced downas described the surfaces 16 and 17 respectively contact the overarms 7 and 8 to which` 'the surfaces are litted, and owing to the arrangement and `form of the parts the overarms are thereby'forced strongly downward and outward against the walls of the respective 4 be rigidly clam'l'ied with the `and overarm, unless means aretaken to overcome such resistance. f y Y For this purpose Iv havewprovided rollers b oth at the front and` rear-fof the column for each overarm, underneath thev arm. yThe rollersy are supported in roller Vunits ldesig nated for vthe overarm 7 as 18 and 19 in Fig. 1. Similar roller units 20 and 21, Fig. l, for the overarm 8 coincide with the drawing of units 18 and 19 in Fig. 1, one of such units 20 being morev clearly shownl in Fi s. 2,13, 4, 5. The construction is the same or eachunit thereforey only the unit 20 will be described in detail. Afroller 22 is supported from a/pivot pin `23- by the Ameans of anti-friction-rollers 24,

25, 26, 27, 28 each having a peripheral bearing in the bore 22a of roller 22, and on the outer diameter of pin 23. The several antifriction rollers are spaced apart to prevent peripheral contact with. one another by the means of end plates 29 and 30, each of the anti-friction rollers being provided. with ay pin as illustrated for the roller 26 by the pin 26a, the pins being fitted closely in axial bores of the respective rollers, the rollers beingl rotatable thereon. The ends of the pins-are provided with spaced shoulders to establish the spacing of the end plates 29 and 30 and with end portions of smaller diameter whichr pass through suitably spaced holes in the end plates and are then riveted over as shownat 3l, Fig. 3. The outside diameter' of roller 22 'is formed to lit'to the circular section of the overarm thus providing alarge contact as shown at 32, Fig. 3. The pivot pin 23 is fixed in a carrier or plunger 33 slidably fitted in a suitable bore in the column. The carrier 33 together with roller 22 is forced upwardly toward the overarm by the means of a spring' 35 housed in a suitable bore 36 in the carrier and thrusting inthe one direction against the top of the carrier bore 36, and in 'the other direction against the bottom of the column bore 34. Spring 35 is strong enough to substantially overcome the weight of the overarm thereby partially or entirely overcoming the friction betweenl the overarm and its bore. To entirely overcome such friction when overarm 8' is'in its extreme forward position, spring 35 is required to be strong enough to overcome substantially the entire weight of the overarm 8, which then extends abovev the same amount to front and rear of the roller unit 20, thus concentrating practically the entire weight of the overarin in overcoming spring 35. I

i It may happen when the overarm is shoved to the extreme rear that no Weight is being supported fromspring 35, the weight being then concentrated over the roller unit 2l. Thus each roller unit may at times support the entire overarm weight, or may support no weight. y l

Provision is therefore made foreach roller unit that they springs, which may be constructed strong enough to overcome the entire weight of an overarm, do not, when conditions are such that there is no weight to be supported, thrust the overarm 'upwardly to create friction between the upper surface of the overarm and the column bore.

Such a result is prevented by the means of stops, one of which will nowbe described for the roller unit 20, the stops being similar for each unit.v A conical bore 37 is provided in the carrier 33, into which projects the conical point 38 of a. screw 39, adjustable in a threaded bore inthe Wall of column l. The conical bore 37 is so positioned relative movement to the point 38 that as the screw is adjusted in the one or the other axial direction the carrier 33 and roller 22 is permitted a greater or less upward movement. Screwr 39y is adjusted to permit roller '22 an upward movement sufficient to overcome the friction of overa-rin 8 against the bottom of the overarm bore, but to prevent further upward which lwould cause friction againstthe top of the overarm bore. A lock nut 40 serves to permanently positie the screw when so adjusted.

The stop, consisting of the construction and parts just described also prevents the continued upward movement of the unit 20' when the overarm 8 isfor any reason re-- moved from the column or moved` beyond the unit.v be very objectionable as preventing convenient replacement of the overarnr This is likewise true of the similar stops. associated with the other units.

It is to be understood that my invention herein illustrated and described in a preferred form, may in the light of this disf closure be'embodiedin a variety of equiva,`

lent forms, each Within the spirit and scope of the following claims. I claim: j 1. In a machine tool the combination of an overarm, a structure providing a supporting surface underneath said overarm; and means tending to raise said o-verarin clear of said surface including a springl pressed'pivoted roller.

2. ln' a machinetool the combination of an overarm, a vstructure providing asupporting surface for said overarm, means tending to force said overarm away from said snrface and including a bodily movable pivoted roller and a spring bodily urging said roller toward the overarm, anda stop for limiting the bodily movement of said roller.

3. In a machine tool the combination of an overarm, a structure providing a supporting surface for said overarrn and means tending to force said overal-m away from said surface including a plurality of bodily movable pivoted rollers each having associated therewith spring means bodily urgingthe roller toward said overarm.

4. In' a machine tool the combination of an overarm, a structure providing a supporting surface for ysaid overarm and means tending to force said overarm away from said surface including a plurality of pivoted rollers independently supported from said structure forbodily movement at. pointsfsnbf stantially separated along the path of overarm adjustment, each of said rollers having associated therewith a spring urging the roller toward the ove-rarm.

5. In a machine tool the combination of an Such continued movement would' overarm, a structure providing a supportily movable pivoted roller supported in peripheral-contact with the underside of the overarm, and a spring urging said roller up` wardly together with said overarm. y

7. In a machine tool the combination of an overarm, a structure adjustably supporting said overarm, a clamp adapted to force sai overarm against a surface of said structure, and means tending to shift said yoverarm clear of said surface when said clamp is released including a pivoted roller supported for bodily movement toward and from said overarm and aspring urging said roller t0- ward said overarm. v

8. The combination with a machine tool support of a plurality of overarms adjust.- ably supported therefrom, a plurality of pivoted bodily movable rollers respectively contacting the underside of the respective overarms, and spring means urging each of said rollers bodily upward.

9. The combination witha machine tool y su port, of a plurality of overarms adjustaby supported therefrom, a plurality of pivoted bodily movable rollers respectively contacting the under side of the respective overarms, spring means urging each of said rollers -in a direction to move the overarm upwardly, and a stop for limitingthe bodily rmovement of each ofsaid rollers.

10. The lcombination with a `machine tool support of a-plurality of' overarms adjustably supported therefrom, a plurality of bodily movable pivoted rollers for each vof said overarms each contacting the under side 'of the overarm at points substanially separated alongthe pat of overarm adjustment and vspring means urging each of said rollers upwardly 11. The combinationwith a machine tool support of a plurality of overarms adjustably supported therefrom, a plurality of pivoted rollers wfor each of said overarms each contacting the under side of the overarm at oints substantially separated along the path of overarm ad'ustment, spring means urging each of sai rollers in a direction to move the overarm bodily upward and a stop for limiting the bodily movement of each of said rollers.

'In witness whereof I hereto aiiix my signature. y v

GEoRGE E. GUsTAFsoN. 

